Song-Time Sunday!

My friend Callan does this awesome thing on her blog where she has links to different sites every Saturday. So I was thinking, what sort of awesome weekly thing could I do, because people who read blogs like something to look forward to, I think.

Therefore, I have come up with “Song-Time Sunday!” Every Sunday, starting today, I will post a song (in some form, whether it be video, lyrics, etc.). The catch (or maybe the gimmick?) is that it will always been an Italian song, and it will probably always be a song I like. And in terms of Italian music, I like the folksy stuff, the really bad pop, the partisan songs – you name it!

For this first Sunday, I figured I should start with something classic and patriotic: The Italian National Anthem!

This video is the full version; I only ever learned the first verse part. But! It’s fun and very patriotic. The song was written during the struggle for the unification of Italy, had music set to it, and became very popular during the Risorgimento. Understandably, it’s a little…gung-ho and jingoistic (can it be jingoistic if it’s not British? Sure!). But most national anthems are a little questionable since they were often written in the heat of battle.

Here are the lyrics, which I’ve taken from the Wikipedia article on the song (I highly recommend you glance over that):

Brothers of Italy,
Italy has woken,
Bound Scipio’s helmet
Upon her head.
Where is Victory?
Let her bow down,
For God created her
Slave of Rome.

CHORUS:
Let us join in a cohort,
We are ready to die.
We are ready to die,
Italy has called.
Let us join in a cohort,
We are ready to die.
We are ready to die,
Italy has called, yes!

We were for centuries
downtrodden, derided,
because we are not one people,
because we are divided.
Let one flag, one hope
gather us all.
The hour has struck
for us to unite.

CHORUS

Let us unite, let us love one another,
For union and love
Reveal to the people
The ways of the Lord.
Let us swear to set free
The land of our birth:
United, for God,
Who can overcome us?

CHORUS

From the Alps to Sicily,
Legnano is everywhere;
Every man has the heart
and hand of Ferruccio
The children of Italy
Are all called Balilla;
Every trumpet blast
sounds the Vespers.

CHORUS

Mercenary swords,
they’re feeble reeds.
The Austrian eagle
Has already lost its plumes.
The blood of Italy
and the Polish blood
It drank, along with the Cossack,
But it burned its heart.

CHORUS

And there you have it, folks – the very first Song-Time Sunday! Tune in next week for a new Italian song!